Mudslide Cookies

I am a huge sucker for chocolate. Really. No joke. The more, the merrier. Trying to keep in mind to eat things in moderation is sometimes a huge catch 22. No, no addiction. I could stop. (Wow, I even sound like an addict)

Luckily, I found this recipe and its the perfect way to help crave the want, but not intake the un-needed calories. A wife and her husband loved these cookies, but they were 300 calories a pop. WOW. So, she being a dietitian and he a doctor, they re-vamped the recipe to a whopping 142 calories a shot. What can be better. So, take it in and enjoy this recipe from MyRecipes.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2  tablespoons  butter
• 2  ounces  bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 2  ounces  unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1  tablespoon  instant coffee granules
• 1  tablespoon  hot water
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 1 1/2  cups  all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
• 1/2  cup  unsweetened cocoa
• 2  teaspoons  baking powder
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 2 1/2  cups  sugar
• 1/2  cup  egg substitute
• 2  large eggs
• 1/2  cup  chopped walnuts
• 1/4  cup  semisweet chocolate minichips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place butter, bittersweet chocolate, and unsweetened chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until chocolate is almost melted. Stir until smooth. Combine coffee granules and 1 tablespoon hot water, stirring until granules dissolve. Stir coffee and vanilla into chocolate mixture.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt, stirring well with a whisk. Combine sugar, egg substitute, and eggs in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed 6 minutes or until thick and pale. Gently stir 1/4 of egg mixture into chocolate mixture; stir chocolate mixture into remaining egg mixture. Stir in flour mixture, nuts, and chocolate chips.

Cover baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets; with moist hands, gently press dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until set. Cool 1 minute. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 142 (29% from fat)

Fat: 4.7g (sat 2g,mono 1g,poly 1.1g)

Protein: 2.5g

Carbohydrate: 25.2g

Fiber: 1.3g

Cholesterol: 16mg

Iron: 1.1mg

Sodium: 59mg

Calcium: 29mg

Banana Cream Pie Smoothie

1 mile left. Come on, Liz. You got it.

So sometimes I enjoy the morning run, but afterwards, I definitely don’t want to eat anything, but that does not mean that I’m not hungry. The shake becomes the perfect thing.  However, Jamba Juice and all of their friendly cousin’s tend to have drinks that are expensive and high in calories. Maybe give this a shot from cookinglight.com.

Something to consider. Sometimes banana and my taste buds are not so buddy-buddy. When these rare moments occur, I add in a little bit of orange juice or a few berries. it can never go wrong.

Ingredients

• 1  cup  sliced ripe banana (about 1 large)
• 1  cup  vanilla low-fat yogurt
• 1/2  cup  1% low-fat milk
• 2  tablespoons  whole wheat graham cracker crumbs (about 1/2 cookie sheet)
• 1  tablespoon  nonfat dry milk
• 1/2  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 3  ice cubes (about 1/4 cup)
• Graham cracker crumbs

Directions

Arrange banana slices in a single layer on a baking sheet, and freeze until firm (about 1 hour).

Place frozen banana and remaining ingredients in a blender. Process until smooth. Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cup

Calories:216 (12% from fat)

Fat:2.8g (sat 1.5g,mono 0.8g,poly 0.3g)

Protein:9.8g

Carbohydrate:39.3g

Fiber:1.9g

Cholesterol:9mg

Iron: 0.4mg

Sodium:145mg

Calcium:315mg

Glazed Chocolate-Pumpkin Bundt Cake

It’s pumpkin making time!!

Alright, so one of the best holidays is lurking around the corner, Thanksgiving. Why? Well, all the pumpkin of course.

Ok, you caught me, I’m also a big fan of the fall with all of its brilliant colors, but nonetheless, it is all wonderful. One of my biggest problems though is that the aroma of freshly baked cookies, pies, and bread seem to come out of the kitchen more frequently and all I want to do is gobble them all up. Not exactly the best since my running days of track and field have been behind me for 3 years now. Here is a recipe from eatingwell.com that makes eating this cake a little less guiltless. Yes, its not prefect because it still has its calories, but with the holidays, it is time to indulge and spend time with close friends and family. Might as well do that with treat with less negative side-effects.

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 cup all-purpose, flour

• 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, (not Dutch-process)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup nonfat buttermilk
• 1 15-ounce can unsweetened pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 large egg white, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Glaze & Garnish

• 1/2 cup packed confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tablespoon nonfat buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips, or toasted chopped nuts (see Tip)

Directions

1. To prepare cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray.
2. Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Blend 1 cup buttermilk, pumpkin puree and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed. Beat in whole egg and egg white. Stir in oil, corn syrup and vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
4. Bake the cake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely on the rack, about 2 hours.
5. To glaze & garnish cake: Combine confectioners’ sugar and 1 tablespoon buttermilk in a small bowl, stirring until completely smooth. Place the cake on a serving plate and drizzle the glaze over the top; garnish with chocolate chips (or chopped nuts) while the glaze is still moist.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 4 up to 1 day ahead. Glaze and garnish (Step 5) shortly before serving. Equipment: 12-cup Bundt pan

• Tips: To warm an egg to room temperature, either set it out on the counter for 15 minutes or submerge it (in the shell) in a bowl of lukewarm (not hot) water for 5 minutes.
• To toast chopped nuts & seeds: Cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

Nutrition

Per serving: 234 calories; 5 g fat (1 g sat, 3 g mono); 13 mg cholesterol; 46 g carbohydrates; 4 g protein; 3 g fiber; 238 mg sodium; 159 mg potassium.